Recently I have been investigating what the cheapest/easiest setup could be for a home entertainment system would be.

I have an old Macbook laptop that doesn’t have a working touchpad and keyboard - but everything else works, so am using that as a media server.

So, my favourite combination of Software/Hardware is:

  • Plex Server, easy to setup, works on all operating systems. You can add your own specific custom plugins, for example ABC iview in Australia, just look on GitHub.

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  • Chromecast - best $30 spent ever. Really simple device that works insanely well. Even without a media server, you can get some fantastic apps on your mobile - and cast from there.

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  • Plex mobile app ~$6, enables you to browse your Plex channels, and cast to your TV. Works on iPad, iPhone and Android.

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Now all I need is a decent live sports channel, and I’ll be set.